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Review: Nintendo Switch

Nintendo has released their latest console offering, the Nintendo Switch, into the wild. After the commercial failure of the Wii U, and the fairly successful 3DS, the Nintendo Switch aims to combine both worlds of a home console and a portable gaming system into one single system. The Switch could arguably be Nintendo’s last swing to stay in the console market. Does the new hybrid system hold up as a hit or a miss?

The Nintendo Switch Console

The Nintendo Switch in dock next to Joy-Con Grip

The Nintendo Switch is a gaming tablet with detachable controllers on the side known as Joy-Con. The tablet can be set into the dock to play on a TV like a regular home console, but can be removed from the dock at any time to play the same game on it’s own screen--untethered from the TV. Joy-Con controllers can be used off of the console and into the Joy-Con grip that allows them to emulate a traditional gamepad. They can even be pulled separately, revealing two shoulder buttons (SL and SR) to allow single Joy-Con to be used in multiplayer games

Nintendo Switch Screen

The console’s own 6.2 inch screen has a 720p resolution which (with the size of the screen) is perfectly adequate. Although it can output 1080p resolution, the trade off of the portable screen’s resolution works well, allowing the console to last longer on the battery while on the go. It contains a screen that is bright and colorful, allowing games to show through vividly even when you aren’t using your TV. An auto-brightness feature to adjust to the lighting of the environment you are in is also present. It generally works well, but as I am not one to usually enjoy the level being set for me, I found it works best when toggled off. The screen also features a capacitive touch screen which is a joy(-con) to use. It is extremely responsive and is a breath of fresh air from the Wii U’s squishy Gamepad screen.

Skyrim being played in Handheld mode.

Skyrim being played in Handheld mode

Nintendo Switch Joy-Con

Joy-con are the new default controllers for the Switch. They are relatively small half-controller controllers. Each one has a joystick, four face buttons (A, B, X, Y), two shoulder buttons (L/R, ZL/ZR), a +/- button, and two side shoulder buttons (SR, SL). Appearing on the left Joy-con, a screenshot button allowing you to take a snapshot of the screen whenever you’d like, while the right Joy-con has the home button along with an NFC reader under the joystick for amiibo use and an IR camera underneath. They both also feature the new rumble sensation that Nintendo has dubbed as ‘HD Rumble’. When used side by side as a single controller, the face buttons on the left Joy-con are used to emulate a D-Pad which, to my surprise, works fairly well. I have never been a big fan of conventional D-Pads, but I found the buttons worked really well for me.

The Joy-con buttons are small with a size is pretty comparable to the face buttons on the 3DS. I thought it would bother me at first, but they actually work fairly well. Also, the joysticks are smaller than a traditional gamepad, featuring a bit less height and have a smaller range to tilt. They work and I’ve had no problem with them after the short adjustment time, but I suspect they won’t hold up for competitive play. The Pro Controller fills that need. When in the Joy-con grip, they are quite comfortable to use. I suspect that larger hands might have an issue with the arrangement. The Pro Controller should also be mentioned here as it has a larger grip and larger face buttons, although the fairly hefty price tag may be in the way for most people.

The Joy-con can also be dual used without a grip by holding one in each hand similar to holding a Wii Remote with a Nunchuck--but without a cord. In each hand, the Joy-con allow for an extremely comfortable gaming experience, allowing you to sit back and let your arms fall to any position. At first for me, the right stick wasn’t easy to get used to in this position. It took a good bit of time to figure out a good hand grip to reach it with ease. But in the end, I have enjoyed this arrangement best with games that don’t use the right stick for gameplay.

Joy-Con next to Joy-Con strap.

Joy-Con next to Joy-Con strap

The Joy-con have an attachment to aid use when a single one is held on its side or for motion controlled gameplay known as the Joy-con strap. And it’s weird. And violent. The Joy-con straps may possibly be the lowest point of the system for me. That’s for one simple reason: removing them. Everything involved with detaching Joy-con from different aspects of the system require you to hold down the release button and get a satisfying click as you slide them away. The straps are different. First off, they have their own lock to keep them in place once slid on. The lock is difficult to tell a first if it is locked or not. Then, when you go to removing it, your first instinct is to hold the button and pull it off. But no. You begin to pull harder and harder until you realize that you may be about to tear apart your little Joy-con. Once you finally make it budge, the plastic slides off and slices through your skin with it’s metal rail. Alright, it might not be that bad, but it is pretty weird. I finally realized that as long as the lock is turned off, you can simply slide the strap off. No need to put your finger in dangerous conditions to hold the release button. I figured that I might just be a special case, but I soon realized that everybody I discussed it with had the same issue.

With all of that aside, the Joy-con straps are extremely convenient when using a single Joy-con. They greatly improve the access to the shoulder buttons and add a little bit of heft to the grip. The actual strap part can be wrapped around your wrist to help keep the things in your hand during motion controlled gameplay.

Nintendo Switch UI

The Switch comes with a fresh interface--and it’s beautiful. A defining characteristic of many Nintendo consoles has been the home menu with cheerful music, cute icons, flashy Miis, and chunky graphics. The main home screen of the Nintendo Switch has none of this, yet somehow it is awesome.

Light Mode Home Menu

Light Mode Home Menu

First off, the main menu is extremely simple. It features large, square game icons with beautiful game art in a scrolling row in the center of the screen. There are six icons underneath for News, the eShop, the Screenshot Menu, the Controller Menu, the Settings, and a sleep button. And underneath that row is a little row with paired controllers and their player number and some bits of button information. At the very top of the menu first show circular icons for each user, and then the battery, wireless state, and time in the other corner.

At first glance, it lacks Nintendo charm. It is extremely minimalistic and well designed. Yet, the Nintendo-ness shines through within the bops, beeps, chirps, and twirls of menu navigation. The fun noises that the menu contains makes up for the lack of music.

Dark Mode Home Menu

Dark Mode Home Menu

The rest of the UI beyond the main home menu is also elegantly crafted. The settings section is simple and easy to navigate. Everything is sonic speed compared to the Wii U. Everything loads and transitions basically instantly. The Mii maker happens to be hidden within the settings rather than being in the forefront this time around. Miis are basically the same as you (might) remember them, with the only addition being a load of new colors to customize hair, eyes, and eyebrows.

In its current launch state, everything is ultra basic. You’ve got your user menu where you can check out vague five hour ranges of your playtime as well as manage your list of friends. And right now, that list of friends is simply a list of friends. The only interaction you have with your friends is adding and removing them, adding best friends, seeing their online status and current game, and playtimes. It’ll inevitably be altered and improved over time, but in the current state, it doesn’t even have as much function as the Wii U friend list.

The Nintendo Switch also has an eShop with its usual orange branding. It lets you purchase digital games and manage your funds. It works pretty well, although it is currently missing quite a bit of organization. The semi-Android feel of the side menu works pretty well. It’s minimalistic just like the rest of the system, but it has a lot of room for improvement. The sleep mode is an astounding high point of the Switch and its hardware in general. You can instantly put the console into sleep mode at any time and it suspends everything. While in sleep mode, barely any battery life is lost. And the moment that you want to play again, simply tap the wake button and you are instantly back into the action.

Overall, I love the UI of the Switch. It emphasizes ease of use and games rather than trying to be cute. While you might not be welcomed by a flood of Miis filling your screen or a fancy icon and sticker arrangement, the joy comes from the incredibly fast and responsive design that gets you where you want, and into your games without wait.

Switch in Dock

Switch in Dock

Nintendo Switch Dock and Battery

The dock portion of the system is what allows the tablet to emulate a standard home console to play on your TV. It is simply a rectangular block that you slide the Switch into to fit onto the USB-C port. It’s got ports to plug into power and into your TV, along with three extra USB ports on the side. It looks nice, wielding the Nintendo Switch Logo on the front, and having a small modern form factor. It works seamlessly, allowing the Switch to immediately push out 1080p video to your TV while also charging the console’s battery as you play.

At launch, there have been reports present of docks being shipped slightly bent--causing damage to the screen if not carefully placed. This seems to have been a legitimate problem with packaging mistakes (mostly with replacement docks), but isn’t a widespread issue. An easy way to determine if a dock is bent is by inserting penny into the dock in a certain position. If you happen to encounter a bent dock, Nintendo will easily replace it for you.

Although the dock is a primary way to charge the console, any USB-C cable will work fine. The inclusion of the universal port is a massive relief for a Nintendo console. No more proprietary ports that you’ll misplace in a variety of locations, including, but not limited to; your car, under your cat, in the washing machine (whoops), on the ceiling fan, and hiding in a fruit basket. The battery life has a range from Nintendo supposed as 3-6 Hours depending on the type of game you are playing. It holds up very well. The battery life feels phenomenal to be able to play a game on the scope of Breath of the Wild for three hours on a charge. Also, less intense games can easily last much longer.

Switch being pulled out of the dock

Switch being pulled out of the dock

Conclusion

As for the current, near-launch state of the Switch, there isn’t much more to say. The console feels like a gaming system that isn’t built for hardcore gamers, but for regular people--intended to fit into a standard busy life. The approachability of being able to play home console sized games anywhere you want, being able to pause wherever you want, and play however you want is huge for gaming as a whole. Nintendo has combined some of their best ideas from every console they have ever released into one slick piece of modern hardware. Overall, I can truly say that love the Switch and would recommend it to anybody who wants to put peak gaming entertainment into their life.

The Verdict

8.3 Great

The Good

  • High Quality Build
  • Versatile Controllers
  • Home Console Games Anywhere
  • Accessible

The Bad

  • Currently Bare-bones Online Function
  • Awkward, Weak, Kickstand
  • Exhausting Joy-Con Straps

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